When you consistently win at a high level like Nick Saban’s Alabama teams, you’re going to lose a lot of top assistants to bigger jobs.

That has certainly been the case for Saban this year, as he’s had to replace both coordinators and several other assistants.

On Friday, at the Minority Coaches Association of Georgia clinic in Atlanta, Saban discussed the assistants the Crimson Tide lost, saying he wishes them all well (via 247Sports):

“We’re pleased with the energy and enthusiasm of the people we brought in,” he said. “We’re pleased and happy for the (departed) guys who got promotions. They contributed to the success we had in the past. That’s what they work hard for. I think everyone’s a good fit and we’re excited about the challenges of the future.

“We lost a lot of good players. I think we have 15 guys at the (NFL) combine, which is far more than anyone else. You can’t really replace them. You just have to develop the next guys who come in and hopefully play at a very high level.”

Saban also addressed the big question facing Alabama this offseason — will Tua Tagovailoa or Jalen Hurts start at quarterback?

“You have to be fair and honest with the guys,” Saban said. “We’d have never been able to get to the national championship game last year if it wasn’t for Jalen. We wouldn’t have been able to win the championship if Tua hadn’t given us a spark in the second half.I think both guys have a tremendous amount of respect for each other.

“We want to try to develop both guys to be the best they can be and utilize their talents however we can. Ultimately you have to play the best players, and I think the players have to respect that.”

Whatever happens at Alabama this offseason, it’s safe to say Saban will have the Tide ready to compete for another title in 2018. However, the coaching staff and offense could look much, much different than it did in 2017.